Pura
Vida

Direct flight from EWR or JFK into Liberia (LIR) — the cheapest and most convenient entry for this trip. Pick up your 4WD rental car and head straight to the Rincón de la Vieja area, just 45 minutes away. The drive is easy and you'll have daylight to spare. Afternoon swim at the lodge pool, a cold Imperial beer, and your first howler monkey serenade at dusk.

An active volcano park that looks like another planet — boiling mud pots, sulphur fumaroles, turquoise hot springs, and a volcano summit trail. All four kids can do the Las Pailas loop (3.5 miles, easy terrain). In the afternoon: the waterfall at Cangreja or a horseback ride through the dry tropical forest. This is Guanacaste's best-kept secret — far fewer crowds than Arenal.

3.5-hour scenic drive east across Costa Rica to La Fortuna, with the iconic Arenal volcano appearing on the horizon as you approach. Check into your lodge — choose one with a volcano-view pool (Casa Luna Hotel & Spa and Hotel Lomas del Volcan both delivered strong reviews for late June). Afternoon: Mistico Hanging Bridges — 16 suspension bridges through primary rainforest, excellent for spotting toucans, howler monkeys, and sloths. Rainforest-meets-theme-park energy that all four kids will love.

Morning: La Fortuna Waterfall — 500 steps down to a 70-metre cascade with a cold-water swimming hole at the base. All kids can do it; the 7-year-old will need a hand on the steps back up. Bring swimwear and plan an hour in the pool. Afternoon: Tabacón or Baldi hot springs — geothermally heated pools built into the volcanic jungle. The experience of soaking in steaming natural pools surrounded by rainforest while it rains lightly is genuinely otherworldly.

Best activity day. Morning: kayaking or stand-up paddleboard on Lake Arenal with the volcano perfectly framed behind you — calm water, stunning backdrop, great for all ages including the youngest. Afternoon: white-water tubing on the Balsa River. Grade 2–3 rapids make it exciting without being scary. The minimum age is usually 5, so all four kids qualify. Every guide company in La Fortuna offers this; book in advance.

Morning: Arenal National Park — the Las Coladas trail has the best close-up volcano views in the park. Keep eyes on the sky for turkey vultures riding thermal vents off the summit. Afternoon drive to Monteverde (3 hours, partly on a famously bumpy mountain road — fine with 4WD, thrilling for the kids). Arrive as the cloud forest mist rolls in. Monteverde sits at 5,000 feet — noticeably cooler, carry a light layer.

The cloud forest is always misty — that's not a weather warning, that's the whole point. Pre-book a morning guided walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso). A good naturalist guide will spot glass frogs, resplendent quetzals, howler monkeys, and orchids that you would walk straight past without them. It's worth every dollar and the kids will be captivated. Book in advance — this sells out in June. Afternoon: Monteverde town, artisan chocolate shop, butterfly garden.

Morning: zip-lining. Monteverde is the birthplace of canopy zip-lining and the operators here are the best in the world. Sky Adventures and Extremo are the main family-friendly options. Check minimum weight for the 7-year-old (typically 30kg / 66lbs) — if they're not quite there, the Sky Walk bridges tour is a beautiful alternative at the same treetop level. Your 14 and 12-year-olds will be obsessed. Afternoon: 2.5-hour drive down to Sámara on the Nicoya Peninsula for the final stretch.

Sámara is one of the calmest, safest swimming beaches on Costa Rica's Pacific coast — protected by a coral reef that keeps the surf gentle. Perfect for the youngest. Morning: surf lessons for the older kids (reliable 1-metre waves, ideal for beginners — your 14 and 12-year-olds will be standing by lesson's end). Afternoon: dolphin-watching sea kayak tour, or simply float in the warm 84°F Pacific with nothing to do. Guanacaste's dry microclimate means real sunshine — this is where the trip exhales.

Final morning on the beach — no agenda, just the Pacific. Drive to Liberia airport (LIR) takes about 2 hours from Sámara on a smooth paved road. Drop the rental car, fly home. You'll likely have an afternoon or early evening departure, which works perfectly — there's no brutal 5am wake-up. Arrive back at EWR or JFK the same evening. Everyone will be salty, slightly sunburned, and already planning the next trip.